Training Methods: Block Periodisation

For our final 'training methods' post, we will be talking this week about Block Periodisation. The 'newest' form of periodisation in the list, block periodisation takes the athlete from general training to specific training typically in a matter of months, as the athlete will spend a mesocycle (month but can be longer) doing 'general' training, a mesocycle of general/specific training and a mesocycle of specific training. It should be noted that each cycle does not necessarily need to last a month, the cycle could be shorter or longer but one month is the most common. What I'm referring to hear as far as specificity, is the capacity of an athlete to perform a specific task at the end of a block. For the sake of simplicity, I will be using powerlifting as the main sport in which we will apply Block periodisation as it is very well tailored to the sport considering it requires few athletic traits: Maximal strength and technique.

The three mesocycles previously mentioned are the accumulation phase, the transmutation phase, and the realisation phase. These three phases when applied correctly can allow a lifter a maximise his strength 3-4x a year and peak for multiple competitions during that period.

The accumulation phase (general training) is the first of the 3 cycles, and it's main purpose is hypertrophy (increasing muscle mass) and increasing work capacity (increased volume). This translates to a lower intensity throughout the cycle: you should be working at around 50 to 75% intensity, that means no heavy singles! The emphasis should be on accessory and assistance exercises for each of the main lifts, with some GPP work integrated in order to keep fitness levels high. The 3 main lifts will still be performed but the rep range can stay relatively high (5-10 reps). With these objectives in mind, frequency can also stay relatively high, 4-5 sessions per week would be optimal.

The transmutation phase (general/specific) is a hybrid between the accumulation and the realisation phase, meaning that you will still be doing a good amount of accessory and assistance exercises here, but the emphasis is starting to switch towards the main lifts and the intensity should begin to ramp up. This of course means that volume on the accessory lifts must go DOWN, as you may well find yourself incredibly fatigued from this block. The longer you can stay in this block the better, as this is where most of your strength gains will be made, but you must pay close attention to your volume to intensity ratio so as to survive. This block SHOULD BE HARD, but if you are failing lifts repeatedly, there is an issue in your programme that needs to be addressed. Most of this block should be spent in the 75-90% range, obviously as mentioned in previous posts, you should be ascending from 75% towards 90% during the block in order to follow the principles of overload. As you approach the 85-90% range, in the last few weeks of the block, is when volume needs to start to come down as the intensity is reaching it's peak. In many cases it is possible to transition from the transmutation phase to the realisation phase without the need for a deload.

The realisation phase (specific/peaking) is where you start to test your strength, strength will not really be built in this phase, but you will work on maximal strength, high intensity, and if you are a more experienced lifter: neural drive. Volume should be dropped considerably and intensity should be above 90%. We are only concerned here with the three main lifts and any accessory/assistance exercises should only be included for the sake of injury prevention. This phase does not need to last a month as the very high intensity quickly becomes fatiguing and of course increases your injury risk, so the realisation phase is only included for the sake of preparing the body for a 1RM. Frequency should also be dropped here, where in the previous phases you may train 4-5 times a week, in the realisation phase you can do as little as 3 sessions a week given how heavy each of those sessions will be. Many coaches/athletes would deload prior to and after this phase in preparation for a competition but in my experience spending too long in a deloaded state can make the competition itself feel tougher than it needs to be. 4 to 5 days of significantly reduced intensity leading up to the competition should be sufficient unless you are a large lifter with a high/intermediate to elite level total, in which case longer deload times can be implemented.

This form of periodisation can be used for other sports but works particularly well for powerlifting. There exists several issues however with this form of periodisation that I will outline now. Firstly, the fitness levels achieved from the accumulation phase are not retained by the time you get to the realisation phase, and typically there is not enough emphasis on the transmutation phase. Secondly, while the realisation phase is necessary, when testing strength, you are not building strength, so the fewer the peaking phases the better in regards to long term gains. Lastly, this form of periodisation does not apply particularly well to the average gym goer, as the phases of accumulation and realisation are unnecessary for someone who doesn't have a meet in mind.

To conclude, Block periodisation is a simple but effective form of programming that allows lifters to view their training on a macroscale and prepare for competitions in advance, for that reason, it can be very well implemented into a powerlifting meet prep.